Insights

A little about the Chancellor's credentials

There’s going to be a lot of waffle about the pre budget statement, but what amazes me is the credentials of the person who’s delivered it.

Alastair Darling’s university career was alarmingly close to my own in chronological terms which, I suppose, makes me feel even more qualified to comment.

Look it up, he was a solicitor for four years before becoming a public servant. I’m not decrying those who wish to serve, yet there seems to be a lowest common denominator amongst politicians that’s simply not found in the true altruist.

I am so bored, as only the middle aged can be, with the old bo**cks that is political rhetoric. Even the Today program is losing it’s sheen because of the training these types have. I know they sit barely above, or is it below, us in the pecking order and I’ve no desire to push them down or kick them when they’re down, but the anaemic performance that was delivered today was really very depressing. In the last Budget he mentioned the word “DEBT” a handful of times and was full of allusions to the “Global credit crisis” as if it was all someone else’s fault, and there was precious little responsibility admitted this time either.

It was full of politically motivated Tory bear traps, wonderfully Scargill’esque taxes designed to appeal to Labour voters and was woefully short of any form of stimulus that could actually produce meaningful Tax receipts to fill the gaping maw that is our national debt.

It’s easy to be negative, but with a fragile recovery under way in the property market the last thing we need is a politically motivated kick in the teeth, whatever level of the market it’s aimed at.